A presentation at Learning Night by Xuehai Fang on buying used cars

1. BUYING USED CARS
a primer to not get screwed

2. #ONE: Know what you want :D

4. WEB RESOURCES
• Americans:
• cargurus.com
• kelley blue book
www.kbb.com
• Canadians:
• autotrader.ca
• canadianblackbook.com

5. RELIABILITY
• JD PowerVehicle Dependability Rating
• jdpower.com

6. IGNORE CAR SALESMAN

7. INSPECT
• Exterior for scratches on metal
surfaces (not front or rear bumper)
• Area under engine for oil leaks
• Front and Rear spring sag
• Rusted parts
• Interior fabric tears
• TireTread
• Wheel Size

8. GO FORTEST-DRIVE
Step Action Reason
1
Inspect underneath
vehicle before
turning on
Looks for leaking liquids while parked
2
Turn car on and
do walk around
Look for funny noises, exhaust leaks, make
note of engine sound on cold start
3
Don’t wait too
long and start
driving
Start driving before the car is warmed up,
make note of the performance of the car,
see if engine knocks
4
Don’t be afraid to
be aggressive
The engine shouldn’t break of behave oddly
unless the car is very old >10years, 100k miles.
Find out if it will break during the test drive!

9. TEST DRIVE PART II
Step Action Reason
5
Drive calmly and
look for steering
wheel wobble
If steering wheel wobbles, either wheels
need to be re-aligned, balanced or you
6
Play with all
electronics
Use every feature your paying for, know
every one thats broken
7
Park above a clean
patch of asphalt
Inspect for leaks on the road with the car
still on
8
Use locks, trunk
etc
Make sure body functions work

10. HAGGLE
• Check out online blue book or black book prices
• Start with what price you think is right and ignore
the sticker
• Prepare to actually walk away, there will be
another candidate. Unless you live in a small town,
then GG.

11. KEY MINDERS
• The latest is NOT the greatest (turbos, engines,
4wd, electronic anything). But the 2nd gen is.
• Cleaning: White(very easy), Black(very hard)
• Wheel and tire size.

12. tirerack.com
TIRE SIZES
$96.22 $200.50 $545.82
205/55R16 225/50R17 245/40R21
(width mm)/(aspect ratio)R(inner diameter “)

13. ACCOUNTING
• Insurance in your state
• Vehicle registration in your state
• Import taxes
• California emissions standards for new vehicles
(<7500miles)